Served as clerk of Cleveland City Council during Forbes era

October 7, 1940 — March 4, 2026

 

Ruby Moss, who served as the first black clerk of Cleveland City Council, died Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the age of 85.

Shortly after her graduation from John Hay HS, where she was trained in secretarial skills, Ruby was hired by the legendary Charlie Carr to be a clerk-typist with Cleveland City Council. She was promoted from the secretarial pool to deputy clerk of Council and eventually became the first black City Council Clerk.  She followed that milestone by becoming executive secretary to Council President George Forbes. In that role she became an integral link between the Council President and the civic community. After Forbes lost the 1989 election for mayor, she left the public sector and joined Forbes’s law firm as executive secretary.

City Hall often bustled with turmoil in those days when Ruby's boss reigned as council president, and Ruby's calming presence was appreciated by many. Attorney Abdoul Rahim Abdoulkarim, whose work had him in the building on a regular basis, knew Moss better than most. He recalls as "a lady of grace and nobility and the unseen hand that often balanced our big brother, George Forbes, when the fighter in him needed to be reeled in just a bit." 

Jim Rokakis, a councilman at the time, also remembers Ruby as "an incredibly kind and dignified woman. She softened [her boss's] "sharp edges". 

Ruby led an active life outside of work. She was a member of Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Cleveland CHUMS INC, a social club focused on education and provider of scholarships for high school students. She served as an ambassador with a program developed by Dr. Edgar Jackson to support incoming medical students to the City of Cleveland. She worked on several national, state and local campaigns including those of President Jimmy Carter, Senator John Glenn, and Congressman Louis Stokes.

Later in her career she returned to the public sector as clerk for Warrensville Heights City Council. Never one to be idle, she also sold health insurance and worked for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority on the Euclid Corridor Project until its completion. She was also very involved with her church Werner United Methodist.

Ruby married her high school sweetheart, Thomas Moss, Jr, on July 12, 1959. They had one daughter Myla Moss, during their ten-year marriage.

After retirement Ruby and her daughter traveled extensively; every winter Ruby traveled with her dear friend Ida Margaret White to the Caribbean.

Ruby enjoyed gardening, live theatre and the New York Times crossword puzzles.

Ruby was born October 7, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio to William Richardson and Margaret Williams. She was older sister to her siblings Gloria and Ricardo.

Ruby was preceded in death by her parents and her brother. She leaves to mourn: her daughter Myla Moss, a stepdaughter Tomiquia Moss [Guthrie Morgan], of Oakland, CA, her sister Gloria Williams, her nieces Kareema, Dina and Tiffany Williams and a host of other family members.

In recognition of her service to City Council, Ruby was accorded the honor of lying-in-state in the Cleveland City Hall Rotunda on March 11 from 3p-6p. Her funeral was held on Thursday, March 12, at 11a at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, 8712 Quincy Avenue [44106]. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to E. F. Boyd and Son Funeral Home.

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This article was updated March 14, 2026 @ 1129 to include remembrances by Abdoul Rahim Abdoulkarim and Jim Rokakis.